STEAM Summer Camps - Amador

Amador Elementary Course Descriptions

We are delighted to offer a variety of STEAM classes for our summer elementary program this year. Below are details of our classes that we are offering at Amador Elementary. We have some 3 week classes and then classes that are specifically offered in weeks 1, 2 and 3. Please select your preferred week to see courses available.

Everybody loves a good mystery! In this class, the students will be detectives who investigate mysteries. They will observe, inspect, and conduct hands-on science tests to help solve conundrums. This class is sure to have your detective using critical thinking skills while experiencing science in a real-life application. After our morning break, students will work with multimedia to create artwork. Students will have the opportunity to create a digital portfolio of their art work.

Get ready to star in your very own play! In this exciting three-week theater program, our students will write, rehearse and perform in three brand-new plays! Through a fun and exciting series of theater games, acting classes and writing workshops, we’ll learn all about using our voice, body and imagination to create characters and discover scenes. Then, we’ll explore interesting themes such as “Life as a kid”, “Growing up”, or “Fantastic Adventures” and learn how to write our own amazing scenes and monologues to be included in the play. Finally, we’ll rehearse the play and perform it for an invited audience of friends, fans and family members! During each week of the program, we’ll create and perform another brand-new play, so you can take our program for just one week, two or all three!

In this hands-on course, students will explore the many animals and biomes of planet Earth. Each week, students will focus on a biome and the animals that live in this biome. Students will read and research using books and technology to write narrative, informational, and opinion papers corresponding to the animals they study. This will help your student to reinforce the Lucy Caulkin's writing curriculum used throughout the school year. Students will also have the opportunity to practice their fine arts skills in weekly watercolor or pastel pieces. Come join us for this amazing animals adventure!

As we walk along the beach and dive under the sea, students will create ocean art with glass, painting, drawing, beading and plastering. Through the use of these techniques and learned vocabulary, students will learn to enjoy and create art.

Let's go on an exciting adventure from the depths of the oceans, all the way to the tallest tree tops! In this three-week course, we will explore life in three of Earth's different biospheres. We will dive into the ocean in week 1, brave the desert for week 2, and swing through the rainforest during week 3. In a project based environment students will learn through fun research, creative art, and interactive science experiments. At the end of each week student teams will share and present the wild adventure they encountered in the biosphere studied. Each week we will collaborate and work together to become experts on a wide variety of animals that inhabit these interesting places on our Earth!

In this interdisciplinary course, students will create their own city based on the world of geometry. Each day the students will be taught a basic geometry lesson that may include lines, angles, polygons, and solid figures which will serve as the basis for that day’s creations. Students will learn the elements of art when creating design plans for their city such as the Pipes of Polygonopolis or drawing the citizens of Quadrilateralville. Using engineering practices, our young city designers will work collaboratively to ask questions, plan and carry out investigations, and communicate solutions back to the class as they attempt to build structures for their ever growing city. Technology will be incorporated to plan out design solutions and create a travel brochure in a means of attracting visitors to their magnificent mathematical Metropolis.

Take your writing and learning to another level while transforming them into Google Docs and Slides. In this course, students will enhance their typing skills. Students will learn how to use Google Docs and Slides, and create typed documents, presentations, and slides. We will investigate areas of science via STEAM while applying these newly learned ideas to technology. On week 3, students will bring all these masterpieces to life by creating a handmade book (hand sewn and decorated) to share and have as a keepsake for years to come. Ready yourself for the future and build your new documents and slide presentations. Varying skill experience is welcome and encouraged.

This class will highlight the STEAM practices of using hands on activities. Students will apply critical thinking and problem solving strategies to solve real situations. They will also have opportunities to make projects using skills they will acquire. Some of these projects include creating geodesic domes, solar ovens, and speakers for their ipods/phones, balloon cars and catapults. Each day students will learn new problem solving skills and then have an opportunity to apply them. At the end of each week parents will be invited to visit our classroom and have their student explain the projects and then take them home to continue their exploration.

Do you think building is awesome? How about building with Emmet and Lucy?! Then you won’t want to miss the course! Join Emmet, Lucy, Unicorn Kitty and Benny on a journey to stop Bad Cop and Lord Business from super-gluing the world. Campers will put their engineering skills to work as they build motorized models, 3D figure models and mosaics. They’ll love playing fun games and doing cool crafts based on The LEGO® Movie and its sequel. Whether you take an imaginary ride on Metal Beard’s ship or Emmet’s double-decker couch, be sure to get on over to Bricks 4 Kidz where building is awesome! Campers will explore concepts of engineering and architecture through building specially-designed Bricks 4 Kidz motorized models, mosaics, and 3D figure build.

LEGO® is a registered trademark of the LEGO® Group of companies which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse these programs.

Book all 3 Bricks4Kidz classes and save money - How to Train Your Dragon, Lego Movie 2 and Toy Story 4.

A magical week of spellbinding adventure has been brewed up for students in this course! Students will travel on a unique “island” adventure where they will work collaboratively with their “STEAMwarts Housemates” to tackle various challenges using a variety of materials in their provided treasure chest and their boundless imaginations. STEAMwarts Housemates will take a full load of Wizarding Classes from Transfiguration to Flying Broomsticks to Charms and Potions to Magical Beasts where they will explore science. The camp will culminate with a graduation ceremony before you sail your enchanted boats back to the Muggle World.

Prepare for the world of technology and learn the secret language of computers! Coders will discover how computers think through fun interactive games and basic computer coding. After mastering the processing style of a computer, coders will learn to use Scratch, a block-based tool developed at MIT. Use Scratch to make engaging projects with endless possibilities, in a mixture of games and stories. Choose your favorite theme, from Luke in Star Wars to the voyager Moana! Students will also take time to step away from the screen and engage in “unplugged” activities like Robot Artist or Paper Plane Coding to deepen their computational thinking skills. Finally, coders also get to take part in 3D game design! Learn the complex methods used to take your game design to the next dimension!"

Students will learn the science of weather through observations of the sun, moon, stars to describe predicted weather patterns over time and determine the effect of sunlight on Earth’s surface. Through those observations this course will incorporate math and English learning as students will be using qualitative and quantitative observation method when developing their predictions and descriptions. Using a variety of tools and materials students will have the hands on experience of designing and building a structure that will reduce the warming effect of sunlight on an area. This course meets Next Generation Science Standards Associated Science Standards.

Your child will be working with a variety of materials in a STEAM makerspace focusing on different engineering tasks. Students will come up with different ways to construct a project. They will then test their projects and make any necessary improvements. From there, students will begin to work on Tinkercad to create 3D designs. In addition, students will learn how to do computer coding via GoogleCSFirst, Scratch, Code.org etc.”

Prepare to enter the enchanting, imaginary world of wizards and dragons. Students will love building their favorite wizard and his magical snowy owl. They will even build a motorized model to make him fly on his broomstick! Watch out for dragons in the sky as well. Luckily Toothless and his fellow good dragons aren’t looking to hurt anyone, they just need some training! You won’t want to miss this magical experience, packed with building and imagination! Each day will offer something new including characters from the movies! Campers will explore concepts of engineering and architecture through building specially-designed Bricks 4 Kidz motorized models, mosaics, and 3D figure build.

LEGO® is a registered trademark of the LEGO® Group of companies which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse these programs.

Book all 3 Bricks4Kidz classes and save money - How to Train Your Dragon, Lego Movie 2 and Toy Story 4.

Is your student slime crazy? Does he/she love making squishy, squeezy stuff? Then this one-of-a-kind enrichment course where students will be taken on a unique “island” adventure and work in collaborative “tribes” to tackle various challenges is the place for them! Using a variety of materials in their provided treasure chest and their boundless imaginations, “tribes” will dive into a new slime-filled world every day, from alien ooze to ghostly goo to monster muck to lava, too. No matter how you stretch it, this course promises to be an enriching, fun-filled experience.

Enter the exciting world of chess! This camp is designed to bring a challenge to all players, from beginner to expert. To advance through our leveled curriculum, campers learn new tactics progressively: from skewers to endgames and far beyond. Higher level campers will work towards playing chess blindfolded! Other challenges include Bug House (team chess), computer simulations, and a tournament at the end of the camp. Pieces, boards, and prizes are all provided. Our professional chess educators will help everyone achieve “Success Through Chess!"

Students will have the opportunity to produce visual projects utilizing stop motion and green screen technology. Students will use clay, paper, and props as well as their own live action skills to create visual projects, art for screen-casts, and short films. Content for projects will be student driven and teacher facilitated. Students will be able to save their projects in a digital portfolio to share with their families and friends.

In this one-of-a-kind enrichment course students will ride their balloon bus into an unforgettable computer-and-violence-freeadventure inspired by the world’s most popular game - FortNite. Students will travel to a unique “island” where they will work in collaborative “tribes” to tackle various challenges using critical thinking, a variety of materials in their treasure chest and their boundless imaginations to build walls, stairs and other shelters as they create possible solutions to their challenge for the success of their “tribe”. They will land in Slanted Towers, Treasure Lake and other Fort Island hotspots. Students will also design their own skins, practice their favorite dance moves, and make up some brand-new dances of their own. This Challenge Island Camp Royale promises to be a Slurp-Juicy non-electronics experience for every Fort-loving boy and girl!

Join us on this fun adventure! This camp is filled with a variety of awesome model builds from your favorite movies. LEGO® enthusiasts will build to infinity and beyond with Buzz, Woody and Jessie. Their pig, dinosaur, and potato head friends are sure to be part of the fun as well. Each day will offer something new including characters from the movies! Campers will explore concepts of engineering and architecture through building specially-designed Bricks 4 Kidz motorized models, mosaics, and 3D figure build.

LEGO® is a registered trademark of the LEGO® Group of companies which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse these programs.

Book all 3 Bricks4Kidz classes and save money - How to Train Your Dragon, Lego Movie 2 and Toy Story 4.